Improvement in car-couplings



M. GOERMAN.

CAR-COUPLING.

Patented Aprilll. 1876.

frwe wr:

N. PETERS. HOTGUTHOGRAPHER. WASHINGTON.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

MICHAEL GOERMAN, OF ALLEGHENY TOWNSHIP, ARMSTRONG COUNTY, PA.

'IMPROVEMENT IN CAR-COUPLINGS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 175,966, dated April 11, 1876; application filed January 19, 1875.

To all whom it may concern:

Be itknown that I, MICHAEL GOERMAN, of Allegheny township, Armstrong county, and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain Improvements in Oar'Oouplings, of which the following is a specification: V

Figure l is a perspective view of my improved car-coupling, and Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the same.

Similar letters indicate like parts in both figures.

My invention relates to improvements in automatic car-couplings; and consists in the employment of a draw-head having a tapering wedge-shaped mouth to support the link in a horizontal position when uncoupled, and slotted in its upper and lower faces for the passage of the connecting-link pin, the slots being so formed that the pin swings freely under the action of the link in coupling toward the rear of the draw-head, and falls by gravity into the opening in the link, where it is held securely in the forward movement of the cars, as will be hereinafter more fully set forth.

In the accompanying drawings, A represents a draw-head having a flaring mouth, which gradually tapers to its rear end E, where it is made but little larger than the end of the link. The general form of the draw-head opening being that of a wedge, whereby, when the link is inserted into the draw-head, the former will assume a horizontal position, or nearly so, when the cars are uncoupled, thereby preventing the necessity of raising up the link in coupling cars.

a is a slot passing through the. upper face of the draw-head, which is grooved or 1101- lowed out at D to allow the pin B to swing freely therein and upward under the operation of the link 0 in coupling. a is a slot in the lower face of the draw-head, terminating in a grooved portion D to permit the oscillation of the link-pin when operated by the link.

The operation of my improved automatic car-coupling is as follows The cars being uncoupled, the link is inserted in the draw-head where it is held horizontally, or nearly so, by reason of the wedge-shaped form of the opening in the draw-head, and the car is moved forward to couple with another, the outer end of the link entering the mouth of the drawhead of the adjacent car, and, striking its linkpin, causes it to swing upward in to the groove, when the end of the link passes the lower end of the pin, the latter falling by gravity into the opening in the link, thus coupling the cars.

I am aware that a draw-head, having a trigger pivoted thereto, the trigger being provided with a hinged bar, the former being operated by the link in coupling, as shown in Letters Patent granted to John Swan, dated October 22,1867, No. 70,131, is not new, and I therefore lay no claim to such invention.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

The draw-head A, the opening in which is made wedgeshaped, as set forth, to hold up the link, and provided with the slots at a terminated by the grooves D D, in combination with the pin B and link 0, substantially as described and for the purpose set forth.

MICHAEL GOERMAN. Witnesses:

BENJAMIN F. SIPEs, SAMUEL ANDERSON. 

